A Heart Reborn
by kathleenbrigid
Summary: Tales of Symphonia. This is a story of Lloyd and Colette after the Journey of World Regeneration. Please disregard Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, because it will have no bearing on this story whatsoever. Feedback would be greatly appreciated, since this is my first story.
1. Chapter 1

_Three months after returning from the Journey of Regeneration. Things are slowly going back to normal, and the two worlds are slowly becoming one, though tensions between Sylverant and Tethe'alla are still very much present. Lloyd, Colette, Genis, and Raine have all one again assumed their roles in Iselia._

_Lloyd_

The clouds were looking quite interesting right now. In fact, anything was looking more interesting than this lecture that Professor Sage was giving the class about why it was important to memorize the multiplication tables. After experiencing everything he had in the months prior, none of this school stuff seemed so important to Lloyd anymore. Life skills was what was going to get someone like Lloyd ready for the world, not the whole two times eight equals fourteen thing. Or was it sixteen?

Lloyd sighed softly and realized mere milliseconds later that that was probably a bad idea. Turning towards Professor Sage for the first time today, he saw the chalk flying at him full speed, and was barely able to get out of the way of the projectile. It brushed past him, but the force of his sudden movement to avoid it caused him to fall off the side of his chair and onto the floor, resulting in a room of shaking heads. "Sorry!" _Well, I would be more embarrassed if this was the first time. _Professor Sage looked irritated, no fuming, as he got back into his seat. And as soon as she had become red in the face with teeth barred, she went back to her normal scholarly state.

Colette, who sat in front of him, turned around quickly and smiled at him, one of those smiles he got when he did something goofy. Lloyd smiled back and he decided to finish class that day without further injuries.

Colette, Lloyd, and Genis walked out of the schoolhouse together, as they usually did.

"You know, I'm getting kind of sick of school." Lloyd said. "I'm nearly eighteen, why am I still learning times tables? I should be out doing things."

"Didn't do enough things during the Journey of Regeneration?" Genis teased with a grin. "Besides, you know Raine would hunt you down if you stopped coming to school before she was through with you."

"I don't think Professor Sage would enjoy hunting so much. It just seems so cruel!" Colette commented matter-of-factly.

Lloyd and Genis gave each other knowing looks, before continuing conversation.

"The world needs help coming together as one. Maybe I'd like to go around and help out with that, you know? I mean, we may have brought the world physically together, but we should also bring the Sylveranti and Tethe'allan people together." Lloyd felt like it was his duty to finish what they started. It didn't feel right to just be sitting around while Sylveranti are being oppressed by the Tethe'allans.

Genis and Colette seemed to ponder this for a moment. Lloyd was right, as usual, but it wouldn't be so easy as to just pack up and leave. They had just nearly returned from their last journey that had changed the world forever. Most would say that they were ridiculous for wanting to go back out into the ends of the earth again, but it was hard for Lloyd to live in a world that still felt divided. And whether he liked it or not, Iselia didn't feel so much like home anymore.

Lloyd had been changed forever on the expedition that combined the world into two. There were still thing that he could not fathom, and certain things he did not want to remember. Yet, that journey is what shaped him, and made him stronger, and though it was hard, he did not regret it one bit.

"That's a great idea, Lloyd!" Colette said enthusiastically.

"It is, but honestly, how are we alone going to help bring the Sylveranti and Tethe'allans together? They don't want to associate with each other. The Tethe'allans think we're barbarians!" Genis looked unsure of this plan that Lloyd was formulating.

"Well we'll just have to figure that out on the way. Show them that we're intelligent people too…" said Lloyd, before being rudely interrupted.

"Says the guy who gets chalk thrown at him for not paying attention in school." Genis said with a smirk.

Lloyd grabbed Genis in a chokehold and gave him a nougie, their laughter causing Colette to laugh as well.

After walking Colette and Genis home, Lloyd walked back to his own home and found Dirk chopping some wood outside.

"Boy, can you help me with this?" Dirk called to his son. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Sure thing, dad."

It felt weird to call Dirk dad. Lloyd had grown up knowing that Dirk was not his biological father-he was a dwarf, and Lloyd human, though he had had no one else in mind as his father. But he had been faced with many more things on the Journey of World Regeneration than he had thought. Who he thought was just a quiet, harsh mercenary who was hired to help Colette on her journey turned out to be so much more. Kratos Aurion, his father. He was technically Lloyd Aurion, the fact of this still was hard to comprehend.

But it wasn't just that he was his father, but that he was also an Angel. As in one of THE Angels that helped shaped the world. 4,000 years old, stuck physically at 28 years old, with powers far beyond any normal human. He risked everything to be with Anna Irving, his mother, a mere human, because he loved her.

_But he killed Anna._

_I understand that it was…necessary. I understand that she had turned into a monster, and went after me, but the pain of her death will always haunt me, even if I don't have that many memories of her…_

_I do miss her._

Lloyd started sawing at a large piece of wood.

"You look troubled, son."

"Just thinking about mom again." Lloyd said very straightforwardly.

Dirk made some kind of noise of response, and looked over to her grave just feet away from them.

Life was so painfully complicated. A Seraph father on Derris Kharlan and a mother killed by a Seraph because of a Cruxis Crystal Exsphere. There were times where Lloyd wished his life could be normal, but then he realized he may not have been able to meet the others he loved without the prior turnout of events.

He often remembered that he didn't need a biological mother and father to have a family. He had Dirk, Genis, Colette, Zelos, Regal, Presea, Sheena…even Professor Sage, among others. In a way, Lloyd was lucky to have so many good friends around him to support him.

Dirk looked like he was thinking of something to say to help comfort him, but comforting wasn't his specialty. Lloyd wasn't exactly sure if he wanted- or needed to- be comforted at the moment, so he finished up a large share of the work quickly and went up to the house.

Later that night, he laid in his bed, absentmindedly stroking the only physical piece of his mother he had left. The exsphere, which he had on numerous occasions considered taking out, was as much as a part of him as his heart or lungs were. "Goodnight mom." Lloyd rolled over on his side. More quietly, he said, "Goodnight…Kratos."


	2. Chapter 2

Days later, Lloyd was sprawled across his bed, snoring and drooling ever so attractively. When he finally opened his eyes, he nearly had a heart attack from the two pairs of eyes staring down at him.

"Happy Birthday!" Genis and Colette exclaimed, throwing confetti into the air, which most landed right on Lloyd.

The birthday boy got up with a start, having been shocked out of his wits and slightly embarrassed at his drooling, half naked state. But what Lloyd was really upset with was that he himself had forgotten about his birthday…and it was the birthday that signified him as an adult!

Legally, anyway. Lloyd still had the mannerisms and knowledge of a fourth grader, but that didn't really count, right?

Trying to blink away the glazed-over eyesight he got from such long sleep, he stumbled and moved blindly around his room, searching for something to cover up in front of Colette. _Comon Lloyd, she probably doesn't even notice or care. Besides, we've been friends for ages. _Still, he found a cloak and threw it on quickly.

"Look Lloyd, I made you a cake!" Colette brought out a circular cake that was disastrously frosted with the words Happy Birthday Lloyd messily painted on top. _Well, she tried._

"Yeah, and I helped! With the baking part, not the decorating." Genis said with an amused expression.

_Okay, so it was good to know that the thing was edible, even if it didn't look so hot._

"Thank you guys so much. You're the best friends a guy could have." And he truly meant it.

After an hour or so off sitting around the small table in Lloyd's room eating cake and chatting, the group agreed that the day was going to be a great adventure.

"I don't know if I can move after eating all this cake." Lloyd laughed while rubbing his stomach. He had a whopping five pieces of cake, while Genis and Colette had stuck to one.

"Well maybe if you didn't inhale all of it like some black hole, you wouldn't be immobile." Genis teased.

"You know, I would go over there and do something about that comment…but this cake is telling me otherwise." Said Lloyd

"Since when does cake talk?" Colette asked, truly curious.

"Since you eat five pieces in one sitting…without chewing." Lloyd had a hard time not eating an insane amount of food, even if it bit him in the rear later.

After getting ready to go out, Lloyd and the others traveled to the outskirts of town and just walked. Walked and talked and walked and talked. Their conversations were strange, if not completely confusing. Not even all conversations between those three were interesting, but they had a blast doing such simple things with little worries on their minds.

Genis and Colette saved the end of the day for presents. They pooled together for a pair of ornate, gold gauntlets.

"They're great, guys. Thanks." He tried them on almost immediately and examined them on himself, silently approving their choice. "These must have been expensive though…"

"They only cost an arm and a leg." Lloyd and Genis both laughed at that comment.

"Don't be silly, we paid for those in gald!" Colette said with a smile.

Ah, sometimes Colette was so slow.

_But I love her for it!_

By the time Lloyd got home, it was dark and Dirk was in the kitchen, drinking what looked to be tea. "Happy birthday, Lloyd. Do ye' like keepin' ye old man worried?"

"Sorry, we weren't planning to be out so late." Lloyd took a seat across from his father. He took the extra cup on the table and poured himself some tea as well.

"Well it's a good thing ye came back. I 'ave a present for ye." Dirk pulled out a package from under the table and slid it over to Lloyd, who looked at the large wrapped up gift with surprise.

Lloyd didn't waste any time in opening it, and his face lit up when he saw what was inside.

"Dad…"

Swords. Two beautifully, handcrafted swords made with precision and care. They were so much nicer than the dual swords he had been using up to now.

"Thank you so much!" Tears almost welled in his eyes, but he didn't want to look like a baby on his eighteenth birthday. Lloyd went to the other side of the table and hugged Dirk, who grunted and semi-hugged back.

_Fifteen years today._

Lloyd knelt down in front of his mother's grave, speaking to the slab of stone like he did often.

"It's my eighteenth birthday today. Well, I don't think today is my actual birthday, but it's the day Dirk found me, and…" _The day you were killed._

_I was only three._

"I wish you could be here…to see that I'm a man now. I hope you're proud of me. I know I'm not perfect or anything, but I hope you're happy with who I am, who I've become. Even though I only knew you for the first few years of my life, I feel closer to you sometimes than I do to people I've known most of my life." Lloyd sighed, but he felt some sort of relief wash over him, like he knew that she was there and listening. "I love you, Mom."

"So you're really going to do it, you're going to go around the world and work towards peace with the Sylveranti and Tethe'allans." Genis said, though he hadn't expected any less from Lloyd. Once he got his mind on something, it was nearly impossible to dissuade him from it.

"Yeah, I feel like I can make a difference with that. And even if I can't, at least I know I tried."

"Lloyd, once you've set your mind to something, you don't stop until you've completed it. If there's anyone that can make a huge difference, it's you."

Lloyd's brows furrowed. "By the way you're talking, it sounds like you're not coming with me."

"I…I really can't. Raine would never let me, and I can't get more behind on my studies."

_But Genis, the entire Journey of World Regeneration you had a book in your hands!_

"I…I see." Lloyd said, though he knew that Genis wouldn't lie to him. Genis is well, a genius. He probably did have many things to study…many things that Lloyd could and would never understand.

They walked into class and sat at their desks, waiting for class to start. Lloyd poked Colette in front of him and she turned around.

"Hi Lloyd!" Colette greeted him cheerfully.

"Colette, remember what we were talking about a few days ago? About that trip to dissolve tensions between Sylveranti and Tethe'allans? Would you really be willing to come with me?"

Colette thought for a second and then nodded. "Yes, it sounds like a good idea to me. I'm sure my parents would let me go."

Lloyd grinned ear to ear. "Alright! Does leaving tomorrow sound good to you?"

"Yer doing what?!" Dirk asked, or rather yelled, at Lloyd. "And when were ye plannin' on tellin' me about this little trip?!"

Lloyd 's eyes grew wide with fear as Dirk became angry, quickly. "You don't even know what this trip is for…"

"Ye just came back from a long trip, and now ye leavin' again so soon?" Dirk wasn't just upset that Lloyd was leaving, but more upset at the fact that he would be alone again. Whether or Lloyd knew, Dirk actually loved having the boy around because he kept him company. Without Lloyd, he was just a lonely dwarf living in the outskirts of a small town, doing work to pass the time.

"But this is to help the world too! I want to help the two groups of people of this world come together as one without so much tension and conflict. I feel like it's my duty, and I could help, I know I can."

Dirk thought about this for a second and mumbled under his breath. "Alright, ye can go." Lloyd couldn't believe he was giving up so quickly. "Yer a man now, ye know what's best for ye."

_Note to self: give Dad more than a day's notice before ditching him for what could be a very long journey. A second very long journey._

Early the next morning, Lloyd got up and ready, packing a small backpack with clothing and money, and head over to Colette's house. She was waiting on her front steps, and when she saw Lloyd coming in the distance, she got up and ran to meet him, only to trip a few steps away. Lloyd caught her before she fell. _We've been here before._ Lloyd couldn't help but think to himself as she had saved Colette from falling for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"Thanks." She said, looking up at her savior with a smile.

"Sometimes I'd think it'd be easier just to carry you everywhere."


End file.
